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NTSB Accelerates Cloud Transformation with Zero Trust TIC-in-the-Cloud Solution
Technology Category
- Cybersecurity & Privacy - Cloud Security
- Networks & Connectivity - Cellular
Applicable Industries
- Telecommunications
- Transportation
Applicable Functions
- Logistics & Transportation
Use Cases
- Tamper Detection
- Traffic Monitoring
Services
- Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
The Challenge
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was facing significant challenges with its legacy network infrastructure. The agency, which is responsible for conducting independent accident investigations, advocating safety improvements, and deciding pilots’ and mariners’ certification appeals, has a highly mobile workforce that conducts investigations throughout the U.S. in varied environments. However, the requirement to route all traffic through a legacy Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) was not designed to handle an increasingly mobile workforce. This resulted in latency and connection issues, creating a poor user experience and negatively impacting NTSB’s mission. Additionally, the traditional model of routing remote connections through a VPN client, to the agency data center, through a stack of on-premise security devices, and back out through the TIC, where it traversed another stack of security appliances to its destination, was frustrating for remote users and complicated security.
About The Customer
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is a federal agency that is responsible for making transportation safer by conducting independent accident investigations, advocating safety improvements, and deciding pilots’ and mariners’ certification appeals. The agency is modernizing and expanding the use of cloud-based applications in line with OMB’s Cloud Smart strategy. The workforce is highly mobile, with field teams conducting investigations throughout the U.S. in varied environments, from urban to highly remote. The IT team at NTSB, under the leadership of Angel Santa, CIO and Victor Pham, CTO, recognized the need for a more efficient and secure network infrastructure to support their mission.
The Solution
To overcome these challenges, NTSB implemented a comprehensive SD-WAN architecture and designed an innovative, secure “TIC in the Cloud” solution that routes traffic locally and securely over broadband and cellular connections, using Zscaler, a multitenant cloud security platform. NTSB leveraged Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) to make Zero Trust possible. The FedRAMP authorized remote access service creates dual inside out connections between an authorized user and specific applications using TLS encrypted micro-tunnels. These tunnels are on a per app, per session basis and provide seamless connectivity to any application regardless of where it’s running, without ever placing users on the network. The dual tunnels are stitched together by a broker that runs in the Zscaler cloud or AWS GovCloud. If a user is unauthorized to access an app, then it remains completely dark to the user and to the Internet. This solution allowed NTSB to fully embrace the zero trust model, without sacrificing user productivity.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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